Predictable
by Araseii
Summary: If the world followed any sort of logic at all, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson would have been born and destined—as Thalia Grace so eloquently put it—to follow their parents footsteps and hate each other with a mutual burning passion. But as this was not the case, the two formed something even better and it was of course, the predictable cliché known as love.
1. Prologue

_"If there's one thing that I've learnt in my life, it's that people will only end up disappointing you."_

 _"But sometimes they could surprise you for the better too."_

 _"And who would 'they' be? I have no-one left."_

 _"You have me."_

* * *

She was not one to linger on dreams.

He believed them to be a sort of escape.

She often struggled with the concept of love.

He did as well.

She thought one had a choice between either loving someone or hating them.

He was torn between disagreeing with her and deciding against it.

She wanted to leave a mark on the world.

He wanted to move on.

She hated him for making her fall in love.

He hated her for the exact same reason.

If the world followed any sort of logic at all, Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson would have been born and destined—as Thalia Grace so eloquently put it—to follow their parents footsteps and hate each other with a mutual burning passion. But as this was not the case, the two formed something even better. Something unimaginable, unthinkable, so inconceivable, that no-one but the most perceptive few could have seen it coming, and it was of course, the predictable cliché known as love.

And so begins the story of how he and she came to meet, fight, and most importantly, fall in love (because really, what kind of story would this be without a happy ending?). And it all started on a certain Wednesday of September 20th, 2010, at precisely 11:02am on the dot when Percy Jackson was late for English class.


	2. Green

**Hey guys, sorry about the repost for this story but I accidentally deleted the original when deleting my other stories (oops). Clearly I should never be allowed to manage my own account. Anyway, please let me assure you that I am in fact still very much alive - sorry to disappoint - and that I intend to finish this story once and for all. Let's hope that I don't lose that motivation.**

 **(I don't own the Percy Jackson books, nor will I ever.)**

* * *

 _Wednesday September 20, 2010_

 _Dear diary,_

 _Got settled into my new dorm. My roommate Katie was very accommodating._

 _Classes were alright. English was… well, let's just say that I met some interesting people today._

 _-A_

Annabeth frowned as she re-read her latest diary entry, squinting as to interpret her messy penmanship better in the poor lighting. It was awfully short, Annabeth observed, but not unlike the other brief paragraphs that she'd written over the past few weeks.

Shaking her head, Annabeth crossed out the words repeatedly, and once again poised her pen over the paper, ready to re-write the succinct passage into a more detailed entry. But after a few moments of wracking her brains for another interesting event that had taken place that day, she gave up and tossed her pen to the other end of the bed. It wasn't like she was going to try writing again anyway.

Sighing, Annabeth flicked back to her last entry, hoping to come across some inspiration.

 _Tuesday September 19, 2010_

 _Dear diary,_

 _Not much to report._

 _Sent my things ahead for school tomorrow._

 _Thinking of faking a rare disease to skip out on Goode and go back to San Fran, but I doubt my actions will be taken lightly._

 _-A_

Well that wasn't very helpful, Annabeth conceded, flicking back another couple of pages. Her gray eyes quickly skimmed the paper before she came across the shortest entry that she had quite possibly ever written.

 _Sunday August 5, 2010_

 _I hate her._

 _-A_

Annabeth raised an eyebrow. That was an odd one. She hadn't even bothered to start with her usual 'dear diary'. Turning back another page and re-reading the previous entry (which coincidentally was her last _real_ entry), her confusion melted into one of understanding as she realised what past-Annabeth had been so angry about.

 _Friday August 3, 2010_

 _Dear diary,_

 _After thirteen years of radio silence, cheap birthday cards, and the occasional cheque, Mum decided to call me. And surprisingly, it wasn't her secretary on the other end of the phone. I'll spare you the tedious details of our incredibly brief conversation, but the punch line was that she was sorry about how distant she had been for the last couple of years and now she wants to make it up to me. Although, how isn't clear yet._

 _I'm writing this entry now in the safety of my bedroom which is currently devoid of any negligent mums. If I listen carefully I can hear Dad talking to her over the phone. They're not arguing (yet), but rather discussing something which is more than likely to concern me. It's surprising really, they actually sound like they're being civil towards one another... miracles do exist._

 _Dad's hung up now and he_

 ** _THEY'RE MAKING ME MOVE TO MANHATTAN_**

 ** _UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE_**

 _Saturday August 4, 2010_

 _Alright, I've calmed down a bit. Sorry about yesterday, diary; I didn't mean to throw you at a wall :(_

Despite past-Annabeth's evident hysteria, the blonde couldn't help but giggle at the recollection of the tantrum she had thrown. It had felt so long ago.

Annabeth rolled her shoulders and yawned hugely, careful not to wake her roommate as she adjusted her position on the bed. It had been nearly a month since her mother had contacted her and nothing had changed. Nothing except perhaps, the scenery.

Blindly rummaging around her bedsheets for the forgotten pen that she had thrown, Annabeth decided to once again try her hand at re-writing today's diary entry. Despite the current mental blank she was drawing up, it wouldn't do to leave the page devoid of any words, no matter how brief the passage. Sighing, Annabeth pressed the pen against paper and began to write.

* * *

(A few hours ago)

"Welcome to Goode High and here's your schedule," The office lady said in one monotone breath, thrusting a piece of paper under Annabeth's nose without once taking her eyes off the computer screen that she was focused on. The startled seventeen-year-old jumped slightly at the sudden movement but nonetheless accepted the paper. "Er, thanks," Annabeth said hesitantly, looking up from her schedule. "Um, I don't suppose you could…" she began, her voice trailing off as she realised that the woman before her had no interest in listening to her request. "Right, ok. I'll just... be on my way then."

After throwing one last glance at the middle-aged woman—whose name tag indicated that her name was Maria—Annabeth sighed and straightened her shoulders, pushing a wayward strand of blonde hair behind her ear before making her way out the office and into the pristine hallways of Goode High, which was quickly filling up with students who had been loitering outside.

Annabeth pressed herself against the wall as to not be trampled while she quickly examined her schedule. A few curious students looked her way but the blonde took no notice of this. Rather, she was too focused on the task at hand. Right, Annabeth thought confidently, this shouldn't be too hard.

Her dorm number—no. 14A1 (Artemis Wing)—was printed neatly at the top of her paper, but as to where it was located remained to be seen. Annabeth frowned and exited the main office before blindly entering another building at random choice. Striding down the hallway and up a staircase, Annabeth found herself in one of the dormitory divisions and turning to room next to her, she read a nameplate that spelled 6A2 which was bolted on the door.

 _Not too hard, my arse._

Annabeth groaned, burying her face into her hands and massaging the creases that were forming into her forehead. For an upperclass boarding school, the place had no organisation system to its rooms whatsoever. How was she supposed to find anything in the place without so much as a map?

"Um, excuse me," A kind voice said, cutting into her thoughts. Startled, Annabeth looked up and found a girl with bright red hair waiting patiently in front of her. "I don't mean to be rude... but er, you're kind of blocking the door to the room."

Annabeth's facial expression quickly morphed from one of confusion to mortal embarrassment. "Oh! I'm sorry," she apologised sheepishly, instantly moving away. "I was just a little lost in thought."

"That's alright," the girl smiled warmly, pushing a key into the door. "You're the new student?"

Taken a little by surprise at the quick observation, although choosing not to comment, Annabeth nodded and after a quick request to where room 14A1 was located, the red-head cheerfully replied, "That's my friend Katie's dorm. Just let me throw this bag in here and I'll take you there. I'm Rachel by the way."

* * *

"You're kidding," Silena Beauregard said disbelievingly, brushing her sleek black hair at the mirror. "He _didn't!_ He _couldn't!_ "

"Did and could," Katie confirmed, angrily rummaging through a pile of exam papers stacked haphazardly on her desk. "Now I have the re-write the _entire thing._ "

Silena sighed and discarded her brush for a mascara wand. "Well, I did try to tell you he was bad news," she said solemnly. "Never trust the Stoll brothers, remember?"

"And what did they do now?"

Silena glanced at the door through the reflection in the mirror, finding Rachel Dare striding casually into the room, closely followed by a blonde Silena didn't recognise. Katie however, had not looked up from her papers and spat venomously: "Connor. He stole my fucking papers for World History that I spent _the entire holiday_ working on, and set it on fire for a laugh. Now I have to re-do the whole thing _again_ ," she said furiously, finally straightening up to face Rachel.

"Oh!" Katie suddenly exclaimed, spotting Annabeth beside the red-head. "Er, sorry, I didn't know you were there," she spoke sheepishly.

Annabeth smiled. "That's alright," she said dropping her bags onto the empty bed. "You must be Katie?"

The brunette nodded, and quick to brush off her earlier embarrassment she smiled brightly at the newcomer. "That's me! And you're Annabeth Chase right?" The blonde nodded in confirmation and Katie grinned. "Nice to meet you, roommate! That's Silena," she said pointing to the black-haired girl seated at the mirror who gave a wave of acknowledgment. "And I guess you've already met Rachel."

"We happened to meet in the Apollo dorms when I was dropping off Will's Chemistry books," Rachel supplied, seating herself beside Katie's bed. "She was a bit lost, so I took on the role of a tour guide."

Silena noted the slight flush of embarrassment on Annabeth's face, and smiled reassuringly. "The school _is_ pretty huge," she addressed Annabeth, swinging her chair around to face the blonde. "And it's not surprising for people to get lost, so I wouldn't worry."

Katie nodded in agreement. "But on another note, welcome to Goode!"

"Thanks," Annabeth said, smiling in relief despite herself. "Glad to be here."

* * *

Percy Jackson had a girlfriend.

It had been the biggest news of course; Goode High had never before seen the likes of gossip such as this, and rumours travelled through the halls from person to person until basically everyone knew some version of the truth but not the entirety of it. But the line that had reached others more often than not, was: 'He's dating _her._ ' As to whom people were addressing as 'her', is a matter that will be further discussed later in the story, but for now, Percy Jackson had a girlfriend. A girlfriend who had until then been considered unattainable, but a girlfriend nonetheless.

But for a brief moment he had wished that this was not the case; and that moment was _now._

Leo Valdez let out a low whistle, his sharp eyes following the blonde beauty as she confidently strode down the hallway, curly hair flying behind her like a banner. "Damn," he murmured appreciatively, running a hand through his curly hair. "First day back at school is starting to look _real_ good. She must be the hottest newcomer since... well, forever."

Percy however, seemed incapable of replying with fully-formed words and he stammered out a response that might have been an agreement. But in spite of this, Leo didn't seem to notice. "Hey, d'you reckon she'll go for me?"

"W-what?" Percy said distractedly, slightly craning his neck as he watched the girl disappear up a set of stairs. Leo rolled his eyes and spun around to face his friend. "I _said,_ do you think she'll..." his voice faltered for a moment as he realised that Percy had been staring shamelessly at the same girl that Leo himself had previously been admiring. "Oi!" he exclaimed, snapping his fingers repeatedly in front of Percy's eyes.

Shaking himself out of his reverie, Percy turned to look at his friend. "Did you say something?"

"Yeah, I said something!" Leo spoke haughtily, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I'm not doing anything!" Percy protested, turning to walk in the opposite direction of the mysterious blonde. Unsatisfied, Leo quickly followed in his tracks. "You were staring at that girl, and don't deny it!"

"Well, so what if I was?" Percy challenged, spinning around on his heel to walk backwards beside his friend. "How would it be any different to what _you_ were doing?"

Leo spluttered for a moment. "That's completely different!" he said accusingly. " _I_ don't have a girlfriend."

Percy stopped in his tracks. There it was. The crushing, overwhelming guilt that he had been so desperate to ignore and push aside. _'Leo's right,'_ Percy thought despairingly. _'I_ do _have a girlfriend;'_ and until just a few moments before, Percy had been convinced that he loved her. So what on earth was he _doing?_

But Percy's mental evaluation had been cut short, for Leo—who had been waiting for an answer too long—had become concerned. "Perce? You alright?" Turning back around to walk the right way, Percy nodded shortly. "Yeah, I'm good," he answered, although he didn't sound too sure. Satisfied that he had gotten his point across, Leo did not press the issue any further and had enough sense to quickly change the subject. "Well, putting that aside, I heard that Mr Karel from the science department had an accident over the summer holiday..."

Percy Jackson had a girlfriend.

But for a brief moment, he had wished that this was not the case.

* * *

10:48

 _Just a little bit more..._

10:49

 _C'mon, c'mon! You can do this!_

10:48

 _YES! Wait, what?_

Annabeth rubbed her eyes with the tips of her fingers before squinting and re-reading the digital clock above Ms Derivis' head. 10:49. The blonde breathed out an inaudible sigh of relief that only Katie was close enough to hear.

10:50

 _Finally!_

The bell signalling the end of first period could not have come sooner as Annabeth packed her bag and almost jumped out of her chair. Katie was slower in doing so but flashed an amused look in Annabeth's direction. "I told you so," she teased knowingly, shoving an assortment of books into her satchel. "Ms Derivis' class is the absolute worst."

Annabeth did not bother arguing the point. "I thought she would _never_ stop talking about her son's miraculous work in 'bean planting'." she said in a tone that could have been interpreted as amazement or agitation. "So much for Science class. Anyway, now that that's over and done with, what class do you have?"

Katie fished around in her bag, pulling out an incredibly creased copy of her class schedule. "I have... Math!" She announced dramatically, evidently horrified at the idea. Annabeth laughed and checked her own schedule. "Mine says English in... room 9A3." Annabeth said frowning. "Where's that?"

"Oh, that's in the Athena Wing," said Katie informatively. "I could show you there if you like."

Annabeth waved a hand dismissively. "No, it's fine," she said gratefully. "Rachel showed me the Athena Wing on the way to the dorm, but thanks for the offer."

"No problem," Katie grinned. "I'll see you at lunch, then?"

Annabeth nodded in confirmation before calling out a quick goodbye as Katie turned and strode down a separate hallway. Now alone, Annabeth walked out the building and crossed the campus to the aged, brown building that Rachel had pointed out before.

 _"See that building over there?" The red-head spoke helpfully."That's the Athena Wing. But the one you're looking for is the Artemis Wing and that's at the other side of the school."_

 _"The buildings are named after Greek Gods?" Annabeth questioned, whilst hiding a smile._

 _Rachel grinned. "Figured it out, huh? But yes, they are. The school education board mentioned something about upholding honour to the founders of the school, 'The Olympians', which as you might know are made up of twelve of the most influential people in the state, hence the naming of buildings after each one of them."_

With a slight smirk on her face, Annabeth made her way towards the aforementioned building, her book bag bouncing lightly against her hips as she walked. _'And speaking of Athena, she and the rest of the Olympians did a decent job with the school,'_ the blonde mused, casting her eyes downward to the pavement. _'Considering they're always fighting and all that. I wonder if Mum still hates that Poseidon bloke...'_

* * *

 _"Annabeth!"_

 _"What?" The startled six-year-old yelped in response, having no choice but to comply and stumble backwards due to the arm that had pulled her back. The blonde spun around to face the boy who had called her name. "What'd you do that for?" Annabeth questioned accusingly, placing her hands on her hips and appearing to look cross._

 _"You were about to step on a crack." He said simply._

 _Annabeth rolled her eyes. "So?"_

 _"So?" The boy said in a surprised voice. "Don't you know that it's bad luck?"_

 _"I don't believe in that stuff," Annabeth sniffed haughtily. "Mum says it's stupid."_

 _The boy gasped in mock horror. "Oh God!" he exclaimed. "Well if your_ Mum _says it's stupid then who am I to argue?"_

 _"Exactly." Annabeth said, completely overlooking the sarcasm in the boy's voice. "And since I'm the older one between the two of us, that makes me the correct one."_

 _"It also makes you the biggest know-it all," The boy added cheekily. Annabeth looked positively scandalised. "I'm not!" she protested, and the boy laughed. "Gods, you're such a child," The blonde huffed._

 _"I know I am," The boy grinned. "I'm a month younger than you remember?"_

 _"Oh shut up."_

* * *

Annabeth's steps faltered and she paused in her trek to the Athena building. _Who was..._

"Hey, new girl!" A voice yelled from somewhere behind Annabeth. Bewildered, she turned and found a scrawny, Latino looking boy running excitedly towards her. Reason kicked in, and for a brief moment, Annabeth considered making a run for it in the opposite direction but curiosity got the better of her and she decided to stay put.

Panting, the boy finally caught up with her and he grinned widely. "You're uh, Annabeth... right?" The blonde chose not to confirm yet neither deny this piece of information. "Who wants to know?" The boy stuck out a hand for her to shake. "Leo Valdez," he informed. When Annabeth did not immediately gasp in recognition and bow down in awe at his feet, he continued. "Y'know... school mechanic, King of Awesome, prankster by all standards etc?" said Leo expectantly. "Nothing? _Really?_ "

Annabeth strongly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Sorry," she said, speaking with a tone that was anything but apologetic. "Doesn't ring a bell. Although," she added, shaking his hand. "I _am_ Annabeth."

Leo's energetic grin returned. "Oh, but I already knew that. Just making sure, you see." This time, Annabeth did roll her eyes but allowed herself the pleasure of a small smile as she continued on her path to the Athena building with the exception of Leo walking beside her. "So, how did you know that my name was Annabeth?" she asked curiously. Leo smiled broadly, and replied enigmatically, "I've got the entire school wired."

Annabeth snorted, shouldering her bag. "I'm not going to even dignify that with a proper response."

"Oh well now, that would be a shame," Leo said in mock despair. "I had this whole conversation already planned out from the beginning, right down to my witty comebacks and you swooning over my good looks."

Annabeth laughed. "Me? Swooning?" she said amusedly. "I think you need to visit a doctor Mr Valdez, because I won't be doing anything of the sort today."

"Well of course not," Leo spoke disappointedly. "Not since you're, and I quote: 'Not going to even dignify that with a proper response.'"

The blonde gave a firm nod of confirmation. "That's right," she said, pushing open the doors to the Athena Wing. Leo had just followed her inside when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Hang on a second, are you _following_ me?"

Leo gave a start. "I thought you were following me," he said, brow furrowing in confusion. "I've got an English class in this building."

Annabeth's eyes narrowed. "9A3?"

"That's the one."

"Right then," she sighed. "Well I suppose this means we'll be seeing each other a little more often."

"In that case," Leo spoke cheerfully, steering Annabeth down a hallway, "this way to a dyslexic's nightmare!"

Annabeth frowned. "A dyslexic's nightmare?" she repeated, reluctantly permitting Leo to escort her to the classroom. "That's an interesting way to describe english class." Her tour guide gave a solemn nod. "Isn't it just?" he agreed, finally coming to a stop in front of a door and pushing it open, revealing a rowdy classroom already half-packed with students.

"Over here," he said, ushering Annabeth to the back of the classroom where four tables resided, one of them already occupied by a girl doodling on her converse with a white-out marker. Looking up from her shoe, she smiled warmly at the new arrivals. "Leo!" She greeted, gesturing for the boy in question to sit beside her. "Here I was, thinking that you weren't going to show up," she teased playfully. Leo shrugged. "I was helping out the new girl," he said, propping up his feet on the desk.

"And speaking of which," the girl said, turning to Annabeth who had hesitantly taken a seat beside Leo, "Sorry about whatever perverted pickup line he's used on you so far," she said pleasantly. "Leo's a freak, but he's a good bloke once you get to know him, I assure you."

"Thanks, Pipes. Way to make an impression," Leo said petulantly, crossing his arms and dropping his feet back onto the floor. Rolling her eyes, the girl addressed as Pipes directed the whole of her conversation to Annabeth. "You must be the new girl," she grinned, offering the blonde her hand. "I'm Piper."

Annabeth smiled in return and they shook, meeting halfway behind Leo. "Annabeth. Pleasure to meet you."

Piper waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, no need for the formal stuff," she spoke lightheartedly. "I already get enough of that at my Dad's parties."

But before either girl could carry on the conversation, their English teacher entered the classroom a moment later and her implicit demand for silence ended whatever discussions the occupants of the class were currently holding. "Good morning, class," The woman spoke authoritatively, choosing to ignore any last minute stragglers as they entered the classroom and hastened to find empty seats. "I'm Mrs Keith and today we'll be..."

Tuning out the drone of Mrs Keith's voice, Piper straightened herself and craned her neck to peer out the window beside her. "Where's Percy?" She hissed, checking her watch as she did so. "It's eleven already. Do you think he got held up?"

"More like thinking up of an alibi to prove he got held up," said Leo nonchalantly, not particularly worried for his friend as he fiddled with a handful of paperclips. Annabeth frowned. "Who's Percy?" she asked. Leo had just opened his mouth to answer before a loud _BANG_ cut him off. Startled, Annabeth jumped, and she—including the rest of the class—turned to face the source of the noise.

Piper sighed in annoyance. "Perfect timing," she whispered, elbowing Leo as she did so.

"Sorry I'm late," a boy apologised, struggling with his oversized backpack. Evidently he had opened the door with far too much enthusiasm. "I had to help out a gym teacher pack up their stuff from last period."

"Nice one," Leo snickered, as Mrs Keith curtly instructed the late arrival to find a seat. Running a hand through his dishevelled hair, the boy nodded and he made his way to the empty seat beside Annabeth. "Hi," he whispered, sliding into the seat beside her. "Sorry, but um, there's nowhere else to sit." He said a little sheepishly. Not knowing how to properly react, Annabeth could only nod. "That's fine," she murmured.

 _He has nice eyes._

"You're late," Piper reprimanded. "What were you doing this time?"

 _He has_ really _nice eyes._

The boy shrugged, fist bumping Leo and responding to Piper's inquiry with, "Saving the world."

Annabeth smiled at his reply, and found that she had to bite her bottom lip to keep herself from openly grinning. The boy noticed however and he flashed Annabeth a smile of his own. "My name's Percy by the way," he whispered quietly.

"Annabeth," she answered. Percy grinned. "That's a pretty name," he commented, and then turned to face the front of the classroom.

 _They were green, like the colour of the sea._

* * *

 **Review?**

 **-A**


	3. Mischief

_Saturday September 23, 2010_

 _Dear diary,_

 _I have never thought of myself as one who would take immense pleasure in egging passerby cars for entertainment (and I feel like I must heavily imply here, that the thought would've **never** crossed my mind until today), yet it was terribly easy for Leo to convince me in joining him in his escapade to make life a living hell for everybody driving through Horton St._

 _With him, came the mysterious form of Percy Jackson (AKA 'Pretty Eyes', although he doesn't have to know that) and I'm surprised to say that I found that it remarkably easy to get along with him. I'll have to christen the guy with a new nickname soon_ _._ _'Pretty Eyes' just doesn't seem to fit right with me._

 _-A_

* * *

"I'm sorry, you want me to _what?_ " Annabeth spoke incredulously.

Leo's grin didn't waver at all. "I _said_ , I want you to come along and egg cars with me," he repeated cheerfully, holding up a plastic bag that carried several cartons of eggs, as demonstration. As an afterthought, he added, "and also Percy."

At the sound of his name, Percy smiled pleasantly and waved from where he was standing behind Leo. "Sorry about this, Annie," he said in a tone that was anything but apologetic. "But once Leo gets latched onto an idea, he refuses to back out. Better to just go along with it."

The prankster in question nodded enthusiastically in agreement, bouncing on his heels as he did so. Annabeth's eye twitched at the sight of their matching grins, silently pleading for her to say yes. "And why is it necessary for me to participate in what I should remind you, is an _illegal activity?_ " she said sardonically, leaning against the doorway to her room.

"What are you, fifty?" Leo snorted. "Who cares if it's illegal? Think of it as an initiation ritual, a 'welcome to Goode High' sort of thing."

"Can't go without one of those," Percy added cheekily. Annabeth frowned, her gray eyes narrowing with the movement, and the air around them suddenly seemed to pulse and crackle with charged electricity. A silent showdown passed between the three students, and for an entire minute, nothing was said other than the words spoken through their meaningful stares.

Annabeth was the first to break eye contact, sighing resignedly as she did so. "Dammit," she muttered, and much to the boys' delight, stepped out into the hallway and shut the door to the dorm, locking it as she did so. Leo cheered and fist pumped the air. "Yes! We did it!" he beamed, high-fiving Percy before spinning sharply on his heel. "Okay rookies, this way to freedom!" he shouted, marching stiffly down the corridor and wildly swinging his hands, the plastic bag full of eggs flying with his movement.

"You're going to break the eggs, Leo," Percy reminded him loudly. Annabeth groaned. " _Why_ did I agree to this?" she sighed, already regretting her decision. Percy shrugged in reply. "Because you like us?" he offered sweetly, earning a scoff and punch to the arm in the process. "Okay, okay, I was just messing with you!" he laughed, rubbing his arm in mock pain.

But Leo was looking at Annabeth thoughtfully. "But y'know, that _is_ a good question" he said curiously. "What made you finally decide to join us on our little adventure, Annie?"

Annabeth turned up her nose in a disdainful manner. "Once again, I jump on the opportunity remind you, that your 'little adventure' is still considered _very_ illegal," she said, haughtily. "I refuse to participate, which is why I'm merely supervising."

Leo snorted in derision. "That can't be it," he said, shaking his head in disappointment. "If you're _really_ here to supervise, then you would have told us right from the start. You're not the kind of person who would miss a chance to appear superior."

The blonde scowled at his assessment. "What are you, a psychology major?" she huffed. "Stop reading into everything I say."

"But he's right y'know," Percy grinned. "If you're not here to supervise, then maybe you're here because deep down, some part of you really _really_ wants to egg cars." At Annabeth's sudden silence, Percy knew he had guessed correctly. The blonde seemed to struggle with herself, before aiming another punch at Percy's arm. At his cry of pain, she gave a mirthful smirk. "Don't flatter yourself," she said, with the air of someone barely recuperating from an embarrassing moment. "I _am_ supervising. But I may or may not have also been a little bored before you showed up, so I suppose I'm entertaining myself." After a moment, she felt the need to add, "by supervising."

"So you've said," Leo grinned. "And where has your roommate run off to on this fine night?"

Annabeth pursed her lips at his question. "Katie left an hour ago for a meeting to discuss plants," she said, waving a hand dismissively, "or something. I don't know, she wasn't very clear about it."

Leo's eyebrow traveled quite high into his forehead. "To discuss... plants?"

Percy cleared his throat. "The Garden Society. It's their first meeting for the year," he clarified. At Annabeth's bemused look, he added for her benefit, "my roommate's the president, and these past few days he's done nothing but cry over how excited he is for it."

"That's Grover for you." Leo grinned.

Annabeth shook her head in bewilderment. "I can't believe Goode has a garden society," she spoke, clearly in a state of disbelief. "That's just so... odd."

Percy shrugged. "We have a lot of clubs," he said, as if this was perfectly normal. "There's a Tea Society, a Chocolate Appreciation Club, a Poetry Club, even one for engineering-"

"Which is where yours truly belongs to," Leo proudly cut in with a dramatic bow, as he lead the way out of the building and across the quad. Percy rolled his eyes and continued. "All in all, there's too many of them to count, really. The students keep assembling clubs out of the blue and they keep getting approved, so now we might have... over fifty?"

Annabeth made a noise that sounded caught between surprise and admiration. "Who approves the clubs?"

At this question, both Leo and Percy's expressions turned sour, as if even just thinking about that specific person sent a wave of disgust and anger to their core. "That would be Octavian Augur," Leo said bitterly. "He's part of the student council and works with Rachel Dare as the activities director, but trust us on this when we say he's the biggest asshole you'll ever meet."

"He's both lazy _and_ terrible at his job, which is the reason clubs keep getting approved and why we have too many in the first place," Percy added. Annabeth frowned, rubbing her hands up and down her arms due to a sudden chill. Even the name 'Octavian Augur' held a certain quality to it that was enough to make her cringe. "Then why doesn't the school council just kick him out?" she asked plainly.

If possible, Leo's scowl deepened. "The name Augur holds some weight with the Olympians, specifically Apollo. If the council does something that so much as makes lil' Octavian cry, he'll complain to them faster than you can say 'shit.'"

Percy held up his hands in defeat. "Which is why we can't do anything about him."

Annabeth huffed. "Well that sucks."

"Yup." Leo said gloomily.

The trio fell into a depressing silence after that, one that was broken only when they had reached their destination at the edge of the school grounds, which had been deserted as everybody left for dinner. The lack of voices from the usually rowdy students accentuated the sound of traffic that had progressively gotten louder as they neared the street. "We're here," Leo spoke quietly, and Annabeth looked up in surprise. Having not paid attention to where they were going, she hadn't realised that they stopped in front of an old, neglected building that looked menacing in the shadows of the night. "What is this place?"

"The Hades building," Leo said, with a grimace. "Goode's storage building, or as I think of it, the outhouse."

Percy frowned in reply. "What are we doing here, Leo?" he said, nervously moving away from the flickering lamppost beside them. "This place gives me the creeps."

Leo shrugged, before bravely marching forward. "For the rooftop view," he addressed Percy cheekily, climbing the steps leading into the building and trying the handle to the door. He stared as it easily swung open, the loud creak of it's hinges echoing throughout the building. "That's... weird," Leo noted, a strange note to his voice. "What is?" Annabeth said, curiosity getting the better of her and moving to stand alongside him. Percy reluctantly followed as Leo replied to Annabeth, "the door. It was unlocked. Normally I have to pick the lock and break in, but this time-"

"Yeah, yeah, enough with the horror show, Valdez," Percy grumbled, pushing past him and into the room. "Let's just egg some cars already."

Annabeth rolled her eyes as Leo chuckled, the unlocked door quickly forgotten at Percy's remark. "You got it," he said, moving around the dark room and running his hands along the walls. "Just let me find the light switch..."

 _BANG!_

The three of them collectively jumped at the sudden noise. Annabeth clapped a hand to her mouth and stifled a scream; At the same moment, Percy yelped loudly and stumbled backwards, grabbing Annabeth's free hand to right himself. They heard Leo swear and trip over a table in alarm.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" Percy hissed, squeezing Annabeth's hand in panic. Struggling to draw deep and even breaths, Annabeth quickly took in their surroundings. Lit only by the filtering moonlight and lamppost outside, she could only just make out the stores of objects pushed into every space available, and a figure that was drawing itself to a standing position in the back corner of the room. Leo was still cursing profusely under his breath.

The figure moved, and it occurred to Annabeth that the wise action to this situation would be running out the door and dragging Percy and Leo with her, but her legs turned to lead at the thought, and feet refusing to move, she watched in morbid fascination as the figure in the shadows lifted a hand and-

 _Click!_ A bright light suddenly flooded the room, illuminating dusty tables stacked together and haphazardly piled books. Blinking rapidly, Annabeth's eyes sought out the mysterious figure that she had seen and was surprised to find a teenage boy in its place, his hand resting on a light switch. Sporting sunken eyes and messy dark hair, he looked every part of a school delinquent, a role that was heavily supported by his dark clothes and aviator jacket.

"Nico!" Percy said in relief, exhaling loudly. "What are you doing here?"

The boy in question blinked in reply, his eyes flickering first to Leo, to Annabeth and Percy, and then their intertwined hands. Realising the article of his interest, both Annabeth and Percy jumped apart as if they had been burned, blushing furiously as they moved far away from each other. A smirk touched the boy's thin lips, and he then shrugged in response to Percy's question. "No reason," he said, yawning hugely, before observing the trio with an annoyed expression. "You three woke me up."

Leo laughed nervously. "Sorry about that Di Angelo," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. "Didn't know the place was already taken."

"It's not," Nico said shortly, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. He looked to the heavy book at his feet, and sighed before moving to lift it onto the table. Annabeth made a noise of recognition. "Was that what made the noise from before?"

Nico stared at her a bit before he answered. "I guess," he said, grunting as he dropped the book onto the desk. "I knocked it off the table by accident when I woke up."

Percy sighed, a look of clear bewilderment on his face. "Why you insist on taking naps in this dusty old building, I'll never know," he spoke, shaking his head as he did so. "You have your own dorm remember?"

"My roommate's a doozy," Nico retorted, making his way to the front door and tossing a set of keys to Leo who barely caught them in time. "Lock up for me will you, Valdez?" he said with a tone that didn't leave much room for argument. "I'm headed off to dinner."

"Oh, so you _do_ eat?" Percy called after him in mock surprise.

"Shut up, Jackson, or I'll call your mum about your new girlfriend."

" _I'm not his girlfriend!_ "

" _She's not my girlfriend!_ "

Nico merely waved in reply, not looking back once as he walked towards the dining hall in the Dionysus building. Annabeth was still blushing long after he left.

"Well," Leo said, holding up the keys for inspection. "At least now we know why the door was unlocked. Your cousin was a pleasure, as always."

Annabeth sputtered loudly. "He's your _cousin?_ " she demanded, turning to Percy with an incredulous look on her face. Percy winced. "Yeah... sorry about that. Nico's a twit, but he's nice once you get to know him." But that was not what Annabeth was currently struggling to understand. " _But he's your cousin?_ " she repeated, disbelievingly.

Laughter followed this, and Annabeth briefly glanced at Leo. "They look nothing alike, don't they?" he grinned, tossing the set of keys into the air only to catch them again as they fell. "Oh well, genetics are funny like that. Now," he said, holding up his plastic bag. "I may have sat on these when I tripped, but let's hope they're still mostly intact. Shall we go egg some cars?"

* * *

"YOU TEENAGE BASTARDS!"

Annabeth and Percy both ducked down behind the wall that ran around the roof of the building, snickering loudly as they did so. Leo joined them shortly after he quickly flipped off the man who had shouted. "Nice shot!" Percy grinned, delivering a quick fist bump to Leo before grabbing another egg and tossing it over the wall, not daring to look where he was aiming. There was a loud curse, and then-

"You missed, assholes!"

Annabeth's eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Right," she said, grabbing the last egg from the carton. "My turn!" And she promptly stood up, threw the egg and ducked back down. The sound of a cracking egg filled the short silence, which was then followed by even more cursing. Leo peeked over the edge and roared with laughter. "Bullseye!" he crowed. The man shouted some more, but he was no longer on the subject of his yolk-covered car. Instead he was yelling about his stained t-shirt that Annabeth had expertly spoiled with egg whites and broken pieces of shell.

Now out of ammo, there was no longer any point in staying on the rooftop and so, still sniggering, the trio began to make their way down the stairwell and inside the building. "That was brilliant!" Annabeth laughed, practically flying across the landing to the first floor. "Did you see his face? _Priceless!_ "

Leo and Percy followed close behind, cheering wildly as they burst out of the building. Outside they could still hear the man incoherently shouting, and Leo grinned impishly as he locked the door. Together, the three students happily strolled across the campus to the dining hall, recounting their best throws and favourite targets from the night.

"Can you _believe_ that at first, you didn't even want to a egg a car?"

"Shut up, Valdez..."

"Remember that green car that held up the traffic?"

"Oh! And what about..."

The conversation continued until they had reached the entrance to the dining hall, where they were promptly greeted by a silhouetted shadow standing at the stop of the stairs. The three collectively stopped in their tracks. "Piper!" Leo began cheerfully. "I haven't seen you..." his voice trailed off weakly at the sight of Piper's impassive expression. She looked extremely disappointed with them all. "So," she said quietly, showing no signs that she had heard Leo's greeting. "Nico says that the three of you were egging cars."

Annabeth's mouth dropped open. In the short time she had known Piper, the blonde had not expected her to be the kind of person who was a stickler for rules.

"I can't _believe_ you went without me!"

Or maybe she wasn't.

Having finally reached the end of her tether, Piper's face had gone very red, and the feathered braids in her hair seemed to rise with fury. Leo's cheeky grin returned. "Don't be like that, Pipes," he said, and jumping up the short steps, he threw an arm around the girl's shoulders. The action had obviously meant to be interpreted as comforting, but was disregarded as Piper swatted his hand away. "I'm _mad_ at you, remember?" she stated irritably, but Leo was not to be perturbed. Attempting to be nonchalant, he lead the way inside the building. Piper, who hadn't quite finished her rant just yet, followed Leo into the dining hall and yelled at him as she did so.

Annabeth looked at Percy curiously and he shrugged. "Piper doesn't like being left out on the fun," he said, with a smile. "Don't worry, she's not really mad at Leo. She never is." The two stared after Piper and Leo, the former now chewing Leo out for not receiving an invitation to egg cars with them as they waited in line for dinner. Annabeth raised an eyebrow. "She looks mad to me."

Percy laughed, and choosing not to deny Annabeth's statement, he too entered the dining hall.

* * *

 **A little short, but this chapter was originally meant to provide some info about Goode and a little friendship building between Percy and Annabeth. It's not much, but it'll do for now as we get into the story.**

 **I hope.**

 **-A**


End file.
